Colin Mcrae...

[stressederic]

Rally champion feared killed in helicopter crash

 

 

Scottish Press Association

Saturday September 15, 2007

Guardian Unlimited

 

 

Fears were growing for Scottish rally driver Colin McRae tonight after a helicopter crashed on land near his home in Lanarkshire.

The 39-year-old is a licensed pilot and owns a helicopter, which he flies in the area.

 

But Strathclyde police said tonight they were unable to confirm how many people were on board the aircraft which went down at Jerviswood, about one mile north of Lanark, at 4.10pm today.

 

A force spokeswoman would only confirm that one person was feared dead in the accident, although reports claimed that two people were on board.

 

 

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Campbell Roy, a member of McRae's management team, told the Sunday Mail: "I haven't had anything confirmed and at the moment it's speculation.

"I'm waiting to speak to the family to find out exactly what's happened."

 

The Scottish ambulance service confirmed that its own helicopter had been despatched to the scene along with three ambulance crews.

 

Strathclyde fire brigade also had units in attendance at the scene.

 

A spokesman for the RAF confirmed that the helicopter was not a military aircraft but one of its own helicopters was on stand-by to assist.

 

The helicopter did not come from either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, according to a spokesman for the British Airports Authority.

 

A Strathclyde police spokeswoman said officers were trying to establish who was on board and where the helicopter was travelling to and from.

 

"The damage has been so bad that we don't know how many people were on board. It might be one, it might be more.

 

"We just don't know at the moment."

 

She added that it could be some time before official identifications could be made.

 

Police cordoned off the area around the incident and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch was informed.

 

McRae became the Briton to win the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1995 and hails from a well-known motor racing family in Scotland.

 

His father, Jimmy, is a five-time British rally champion and his brother, Alister, is also former British rally champion.

 

Colin McRae is married to Alison and has two children, Hollie and Johnny.

 

As well as winning the world championship driving a Subaru in 1995, he was runner-up in 1996, 1997 and 2001.

 

It was understood that police were in contact with the McRae family tonight in connection with the crash.

 

A statement issued later by Strathclyde Police confirmed there were "no survivors".

 

It added: "It is not known how many people were on board at this time and there will be no formal identification of anyone on board this evening.

 

"The Air Accidents Investigation team are en route to establish the cause of the crash."

 

Guardian

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Edited September 15, 2007 by Random Bird